Baseball glove



H. B. LATINA BASEBALL GLOVE Aug. 15, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept.2, 1958 1961 H. B. LATINA 2,995,756

BASEBALL GLOVE 3' Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 2, 195

Aug. 15, 1961 H. B. LATINA 2,995,756

BASEBALL GLOVE Filed Sept. 2. 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 2,995,756 BASEBALLGLOVE Harry B. Latina, East St. Louis, 111., assignor to A. G. Spalding& Bros, Inc, Chicopee, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 2,195s, Ser. No. 758,298 4 Claims. or. 2-19) This invention relates toimprovements in baseball gloves.

Heretofore baseball catching devices have been primarily constructed asfingered gloves for fielders. and pitchers, and as heavily padded mittsfor catchers. A modified baseball glove, adapted generally for firstbasemen who frequently must catch hard thrown balls, is shown in myprior Patent 2,281,315, issued April 28, 1942. While the presentconstruction adopts certain features thereof, there are a great manyother features of construction which constitute new and novelimprovements which render the same more universally usable by fielders,pitchers and first basemen. The present construction is also adapted foruse by all players in the game of softball.

A principal object of this invention is to construct a glove so that itmay be more universally used by all fielders so as to reduce the greatvariety of constructions now produced.

Another principal object of the invention is to provide a glove with asimple construction for snugging and forming the wrist and heel areas ofthe glove body to conform more easily and yet securely about the playerswrist, and to increase the comfort and feel of the glove by providing anovel shape in the heel area thereof.

It is also an object of the invention to incorporate improved wriststrap adjustments and thumb retainer means in a simple and novel manner,whereby the cost of constructing the same is greatly reduced andassembly thereof is simplified.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and novel parts to beembodied in the construction of gloves so that certain extra padding ismade available in the finger portion of the glove and economical use ofthe leather is achieved thereby.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improvedconstruction for a glove wherein certain parts thereof are cut in a newand simplified manner to reduce cost of construction and dispose seamsin such a way that strength is achieved with added flexibility andhinging action at the little finger and thumb sides thereof.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide the foregoingimprovements in a construction which is considerably easier to closeseams and bind edges in manufacture, and reduces the tendencies forseams to tear out inuse.

A preferred construction is illustrated herein and consists in providingan extension on the back fourchette of the shell and the lining portionsin the finger section to form an additional and selectively usablestall, as well as additional padding in the finger and palm areas. Thisconstruction also consists in providing wrist snugging means with anadjustable wrist strap and thumb retainer device having lacing or anchormeans for selectively tightening the glove in the wrist area thereof.The present embodiment consists further in an improved fourchetteconstruction to do away with the usual seams between the fingers and isaccomplished by forming one or more of the fourchettes in one-pieceportions which make up the adjacent finger stalls.

The invention also consists in those parts and combination of partswhich will be hereinafter more particu- Patented Aug. 15, 1961 see larlydescribed and claimed, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the baseball glove embodying theimprovement of this invention, looking at the face thereof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the baseball glove as viewed from theback thereof and in which features of its construction are illustrated;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the baseball glove looking into thewrist opening toward the thumb stall so that portions of the assembly inthe little finger side may be seen along with the construction andmanner of attachment of the wrist strap portion;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view looking into the hand opening of the gloveas shown in FIG. 2 to show the thumb side snugging construction;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the wrist strap and thumb retainer showing thesame in flat plan;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional elevational View taken at line 6--6 inFIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a part of the palm portion of the glove showingthe provision for the palm extension to form the finger stall andpadding piece;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the backing piece for the thumb, backstop andforefinger portions of the glove similar to FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view seen at line 9-9 in FIG. 2 along thelittle finger side of the glove.

In FIGS. 1 to 4 and 6 of the drawing the glove illustrated comprises abody shell 10 formed of parts which comprise a facing piece 11, abacking piece 12 and a lining assembly 13 suitably joined together toform enclosed areas for padding P between the facing 11 and liningassembly 13. The usual hand receiving opening portion H is provided inthe cut-out area of the backing 12. The body shell constructiongenerally follows the constructions which are now well known, butcertain modifications have been introduced in order to provide for thepresent improvements now to be described in detail.

As may be seen in FIGS. 1 and 7, the facing piece 11 is formed with athumb section 14, a backstop section 15 and the respective fingersections 15, 17, 18 and 19, all of which sections are integral with apalm section 20. The facing piece 11 also has a palm extension 21 whichextends outwardly between the backstop section 15 and the forefingersection 16. The extension 21 has a flap 22 which is adapted to be folded(FIG. 2) beneath the extension 21 to form an auxiliary forefinger stallat the back of the body shell. The backing 12 (FIG. 8) iscorrespondingly formed with a thumb section 23, a backstop section 24,and cooperating forefinger section 25. The backing 12 is also formedwith a wrist snugging extension 26 having, in turn, extensions 27 and 28at the base of the thumb 23 to cooperate with portions of the facingpiece 11, as shown. The lining 13 and backing piece 12 are suitablyconnected to the facing piece 11 so that the usual thumb and fingerstalls are formed thereby (FIG. 6), and suitable padding P is enclosedbetween the facing and lining pieces. The backing piece adjacent theforefinger is formed with a padding flap 29 which assumes a position infront of the forefinger stall and the auxiliary stall. As seen in FIG.6, the thumb stall is at A, the forefinger stall at B under the flap 29,the auxiliary stall at B above the flap 29, and the remaining fingerstalls at C, D and E. It can be appreciated that the backing piece 12(FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) comprises the modified thumb section 23 having theintegral backstop section 24 and wrist snugging means in the form of theprincipal snugging extension 26 and extensions 27 and 28. Similarly, amodified little finger section 30 (FIG. 9) having wrist snugging meansin the form of extensions 31 and 32. Also, the forefinger portion 25 ismodified to provide the extension 29 which connects with the extensionflap 33 (FIGS. 2 and 6) of the forefinger lining part 34 to form thesecond ply of the auxiliary padding which is in front of the normalstall B when stall B is being employed. It is obvious, of course, thatthe size and area covered by the auxiliary padding may be Varied, butthe provision of the same is new.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the improved glove facing piece It]. andbacking piece 12 are suitably bound at certain of the margins by theusual type of binding strip indicated at 35, and certain of the marginsconnected by thong or lacing means 36 and at sewed seams 37 in othermargins. in the backstop, the margins of overlying sections 15 and 2 andthe adjacent margins of overlying sections 16 and Z oflthe forefingerand overlying sections 14' and 23 of the thumb are bound by strips 35and by thong or lacing means 33. Sections 15 and 24 representing thebackstop assembly is flexibly connected by means 39 and so respectivelyto the thumb and forefinger stalls. Some gloves may be provided with acontrol strap member 41 to regulate the distance between the thumb andforefinger. Such member is suitably connected at its ends to the tipportions of the thumb and forefin er, and is flexibly connected to thebackstop so that the latter may retain its freedom of action whencatching a ball. The construction shown does away with a number ofseparate pieces heretofore thought necessary and improved shaping ofportions of the body pieces has greatly simplified the manufacturingoperations as well as manifestly improved the utilization of the leatherand other materials employed, including the cutting and installation ofthe usual padding P (FIG. 6) between the facing piece and lining.

Turning now to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5, the glove is provided with animproved wrist snugging device which 'mcludes the extensions 25 and 31and an adjustable wrist strap S. The strap consists of a pair ofmatching sec tions as and &7 (section as being illustrated in FIG. 5)forming a flattened tubular strap suitably bound together at themargins. The outer section 46 is pierced at a plurality of locations foranchoring means, but the under section 47 is not pierced so that itremains smooth to lie against the players wrist. The sections de and 47(see FIG. 3) have matching thumb retainer loop extensions 4% and 49which together form a two-ply thumb retainer loop L positioned under thewrist extension 26 on the thumb section 23. The adjacent end portion ofstrap 5 also lies beneath the snugging extension as, and the oppositeend lies beneath the snugging extension 31 at the little finger side ofthe wrist opening. In fiexibly and adju tably connecting the strap S tothe extensions as and 31, a first lacing means 56 (FIG. 2) having ananchor end 51 is strung through an eyelet 52 in the outer margin ofextension 31, a pair of adjacent eyelets 53 and Se in the strap section46, and out at eyelet S5 in the same extension, but a knot 56 is formedin the lacing length which lies under extension 31 and between eyelets54- and 55 to act as a stop. The lacing continues on into eyelet 57 andthrough the tube-like strap 5 to emerge at the distant eyelet 58 andenters eyelet 59 in the extension as. A second anchor stop knot 6% isformed under extension 26 in advance of the lacing passing throughadjacent eyelets 61 and 62 in the end of strap section (FIGS. 4- and 5)the lacing emerging through the eyelet 53 at the anchor end 64.Similarly, a second lacing means 65 between its opposite anchor ends 66and 67 is run through a series of eyelets 68, 69, 7d, 71, 72, 7'3, 74and 75, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4- and 5. The thumb loop extensions 48and 49 have aligned eyelets '76 and 77 to receive the looped portion ofa lacing means, and the anchor ends 78 and 79 of this means emerge ateyelets 80 and 81 to form tie ends. When the strap S is suitablyadjusted to the players Wrist, ends 51 and as may be knotted together atthe little finger extension, and ends 6% and 67 may also be knottedtogether at the thumb extension. Knots 56 and 64) in the lacing means 5dact as limiting stops for both directions of adjustments, and also actas safety stops should one or both knotted ends 51 and 66 and 64. and 67become loosened or come untied while in use. The snugging action of thedevice is shown in FIG. 4 where the normal Width NW of the hand openingH in a conventional glove is contrasted with the narrower width SW ofthe effective hand opening, both measurements being taken adjacent theusual heel padding as shown by the lacing means in the palm and liningareas of the body.

ince the thumb and little finger extensions 26 and 31 respectively arelaced into position and thereby provide a degree of flexibility andmovement not present in sewed seam constructions, it is at once apparentthat the respective ends of the wrist strap S will also enjoy a hithertounknown degree of movement when in use which provides a snug and veryreassuring feel to the player. Its benefits are in the degree to whichthe respective extensions 26 and 31 may work relative to the adjacentheel portion of the body, as in the construction illustrated theextensions as and 31 may work or shift and fold relative to the adjacentextensions 28 and 32 respectively and the lining 13. Furthermore, thethumb and little finger extensions 26 and IE1 have the added advantagethat they act to close up and snug the wrist opening at either or bothsides of the players wrist Without pulling or straining adjacent partsor taking anything away from the desired width of the glove across theheel area. The construction and attachment of these extensions 26 and 31permits full freedom in the closing hinge-like action of the glove whencatching a ball, as each forms a hinge at the respective sides.

In providing the wrist snugging and hinge action at extensions 26 and31, the heel and hand opening area of the glove has been reshaped togive it a rounded-off contour so that the corners heretofore present atthe thumb and little finger sides are no longer present to catch onthings and make the player conscious of that hazard.

The present glove as in FIG. 2 embodies a construction in the backingpiece 12 which eliminates the necessity for having seams directlybetween the fingers. This is accomplished by the arrangement offourchette parts such that one part 82 forms half of the little fingerand the other part 33 forms half of the third finger. It can beappreciated that this avoids a longitudinal seam extending outwardlyfrom the crotch, and merely has the transverse seam in the crotch. Thepart 84-, in like manner, forms the other half of the third finger andthe part 85 forms half of the second finger resulting in a similarcrotch. Similarly part 86 forms the other half of the second finger andpart $7 forms half of the forefinger and is seamed at MP to the part 25of the forefinger which is associated with the backstop 24 and auxiliarystall B. The outer margin of the fourchette part 82 is sewed at 41L tothe little finger part 331, such seam being carried into the bound edgeof the hand opening instead of being carried as usual to the heel edgeof the glove body. It is understood, of course, that one or more of theforegoing simplified fourchettes may be used as desired, but the addedstrength afforded at the base of the fingers by avoiding a lengthwiseseam at the crotch, and the easier closing and binding operation duringmanufacture makes it most advantageous to incorporate the improvedfourchette construction.

Turning again to FIG. 2, the auxiliary padding furnished by theextensions 2&9 and 33 may be varied to take in an area of the palmlining 13 which is smaller or larger than that shown, and certain of theextensions may be eliminated to decrease the thickness of the padding,as desired. In such a construction, the auxiliary padding may be free of(as shown) or attached to the adjacent lining 13 and backing piece 12,and it may be formed of leather or other material. The advantage ofproviding the auxiliary stall B and the auxiliary padding extension forthe forefinger, or for any of the other fingers, is that during trainingperiods when the players hand is tender the padding may be used. This isespecially true of the forefinger which is directly behind the ballcatching pocket and gets the full effect of the impact. As the handtoughens with constant playing, the forefinger may be placed in theusual stall. In some instances, players form the habit of playing withthe forefinger exposed at the back of the glove due to the feel ofbetter control which that gives. The auxiliary stall B aifords completeprotection while giving the desired additional padding, and the loosepositioning thereof allows the same to be lifted sufliciently to insertthe finger or fingers in the normal stalls.

The embodiment of the preferred glove herein disclosed may now be fullyappreciated by those skilled in this art, and certain variations in itsconstruction will obviously appear after understanding the principles ofthe improvements. However, it is to be understood that all variationsand modifications are included within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A baseball glove construction comprising a body shell formed from afacing piece, a backing piece and a lining piece connected together toprovide thumb and finger stalls and a hand receiving opening across theentrances to said stalls from the thumb side to the little finger sideof said body shell, said facing piece having a palm section and spacedthumb, backstop and finger sections connected thereto, said backstopbeing disposed between said thumb section and the adjacent one of said[finger sections, a palm extension extending through the space betweensaid backstop and said adjacent one of the finger sections and securedto said backing piece to form an auxiliary finger stall, an auxiliarypadding extension connected to said backing piece adjacent saidauxiliary finger stall and lying on the adjacent lining piece, and meansretaining the wrist of the players hand in the hand receiving opening,the player being able selectively to insert the fingers into said stallsand to insert one finger into said auxiliary stall on top of saidauxiliary padding.

2. A baseball glove construction comprising a body shell formed from afacing piece, a backing piece and a lining piece connected together toprovide thumb and finger stalls and a hand receiving opening across theentrances to said stalls from the thumb side to the little finger sideof said body shell, said facing piece having a palm section and spacedthumb and finger sections connected thereto, said thumb section and theadjacent one of said finger sections being widely spaced, a backstopsection connected to said palm section and disposed in said wide spacingbetween said thumb and the adjacent one of said finger sections andbeing itself spaced from the adjacent finger section, a palm extensionextending through the space between said backstop and the adjacent oneof said finger sections and being secured to said backing piece to forman auxiliary finger stall, said auxiliary finger stall being disposedopposite said palm section and in superposed relation to one of saidfinger stalls, an auxiliary padding extension connected to said backingpiece adjacent said auxiliary finger stall and lying on the adjacentlining piece, and means retaining the wrist of a players hand in thehand receiving opening, the player being able selectively to insert thefingers into said stalls and to insert one finger into said auxiliarystall on top of said auxiliary padding.

3. A baseball glove construction comprising a body shell formed from alfacing piece, a backing piece, and a lining piece connected together toprovide thumb and finger stalls and a hand receiving opening in front ofsaid stalls, said facing piece having a palm section and other sectionsextending therefrom in spaced relation forming respectively a thumbsection, a backstop section adjacent said thumb section and a pluralityof finger sections, one of said finger sections being adjacent saidbackstop section opposite said thumb section, said backing piececomprising a thumb section, a backstop section and a plurality of fingersections including fourchettes connected to said finger sections of saidfacing piece, and in which each fourchette forms a part of the back oftwo adjacent finger stalls, an auxiliary finger stall connected to oneof said fourchettes of said backing piece and overlying at least one ofsaid finger stalls, wrist retainer means including a strap extendingover said hand receiving opening between the thumb side and the littlefinger side of said body shell, and padding connected to said body shelland lying loosely in front of said auxiliary stall to extend partlyunder said wrist retainer strap, said padding being movable to provideaccess to said one finger stall and lying upon said lining piece toprovide access to said auxiliary stall, and said strap retaining saidpadding against projecting from the hand opening.

4. A baseball glove construction including: a body having a face with aball receiving pocket therein, a back connected to said face and formingwith the face a thumb stall at one side and finger stalls spacedtherefrom with one finger stall at the side opposite said thumb stall, alining in said body, and padding between said lining and face forming aheel portion on the body extending widthwise thereof and of less lengththan the spacing between the thumb and one finger stalls, said heelhaving an outer margin; and a wrist snugging assembly on the bodycomprising extensions on said back at the thumb and one finger stalls,said extensions projecting over the adjacent ends of said heel portionand having outer margins overlying portions of the outer margin of theheel portion, binding means connecting said outer margins of saidextensions to said outer margin of the heel portion to close the back ofsaid body in front of said thumb and one finger stalls, a wrist strapoverlying said heel portion and having an end underlying each of saidextensions, releasable lacing means extending through said wnist strapand each extension and being tied adjacent each extension, and a knot insaid releasable lacing means located between one of the extensions andthe adjacent end of said wrist strap to limit the extent of relativemovement between said wrist strap and extension.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,324,219 Latina July 13, 1943 2,434,171 Latina Ian. 6, 1948 2,629,096Latina Feb. 24, 1953 2,722,007 Tompkins NOV. 1, 1955 2,778,023 TompkinsIan. 22, 1957

